Downame - Puritan-02038 v2

loo Reafoni'tioning to the contempt oftrorldly learning. Pure and delight, that they thinke their whole life too little to fatisfie their curiofity,and ro furnifh them with thefe lear- ned treafures:in the meane time vtterly negleéling the fludy ofthe Scriptures, which alone are fufficient to make them wife to their faluation: it puffeth them vp with pride, and makcth themin the ouerwcening conceit of their owne ex- cellencies to contemne al others, & that which is worfi ofal, r.Cor.r.a ;. todefpife the fimpl icicle of the Scriptures ,andtoelleemethe preaching of the Gofpell meerefoolifhnes : yea and becaufe they difdaine to be learned after the vulgar fafhion, they coine new conceits,and after much painesand long trauaile they are deliuercd of the vnnaturallbirthes, and miflhapen monflers of errour and falfhood, which they fo curioufly a- dorne with their pleating ornaments ofwit, eloquence and fub tile learning, that their deformities are not difcerned by an ordinaryvnderflanding,norfeeme vnhandfome to an vn- judiciousbcholder.fn fo much as it may trulybe Paid, that as pride is the father, fo thisworldly learning is the mother of all dangerous errors and damnable herefies : and feldome (as , tlagni rara er- one faith) hauethere been any great errors, which haue not rores,nift ex been the offering of great wits; and as they are readie to magrús prodiere broth errots and herelies,fo alto are they mofl fiiffe in main - ingengs. taining and defending them, their learning making them a- ble to contend, and their pride impatient of receiuing any foile. g.Sa8. And therefore feeing this worldly learning, being feue- That worldly red from fauingwifdome and true godlineffe; doth not pro. leatningis to be fit vs, as being vaine and of no excellencie; feeing it loth contemnedin not inrich vs with Gods fpiritual graces ;nor at all furthereth com paureDo p . the faluation ofour foules ; yea feeing ir doth much hurt va, geofGod. by making vs more proud and erroneous fchifmaticall and hereticall; let vs not fuffer our felues to be bewitched with the alluring notes of this Syren; let vs not ouerualue this well decked worldly vanities preferring it to thetrue know- ledge ofGod and his fauing grace; but efleeming a dram of fpirituall wifdome and true piede, before many poundsof this worldly learning, let Vs negletl it, or rather purge it from this,worldly filth offinne and corruption, and Petting our